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Media Reports

08/May/2009 > Times of India > Few ramps at booths, uphill task for capital’s disabled > Even as the Election Commission claimed to have ensured disabled- friendly polling booths, there seemed to be no provisions made for the physically challenged, who struggled to cast their vote despite all roadblocks.

08/May/2009 > Hindustan Times > Disabling their right to vote > Sitting in a plastic chair in his balcony, 28-year-old Amit Sehgal watched voters go in and come out of the polling station across the road, but did not vote himself.

23/Apr/2009 > Times of India, Bangalore > Polls could be more disabled-friendly > If you ask the government, the answer you'll get is that the physically challenged come under the marginalized sections of society - along with widows, the aged and other minorities. They aren't much of a vote bank for any political party. The Election Commission too is not doing a lot to make the polls disabled-friendly. (Scanned version - PDF | Accessible version - PDF)

15/Apr/2009 > InfoChange India > Disabled on an equal footing this election > If Supreme Court guidelines are obeyed, the forthcoming Lok Sabha election will be a historic one. For the first time the poll process will be disabled-friendly, with ramps, separate queues and Braille-enabled voting machines that will allow disabled voters to enjoy the same rights as everyone else.

12/Apr/2009 > Th Hindu > Visually impaired to cast votes independently > The visually impaired electors will be able to cast their vote during elections to Lok Sabha without any assistance from family and friends. All polling booths will have Braille-enabled electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the first time in the State. State Chief Electoral Officer M.N. Vidyashankar told The Hindu over phone that Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has developed Braille features for the EVMs.

11/Apr/2009 > The Hindu > An ‘accessible poll’ for all > The Election Commission and the district administrations in the State are working overtime to make polling booths more accessible for the physically challenged for the April 16 Lok Sabha election, which is expected to witness a record turn-up of people with disabilities (PWDs).

10/Apr/2009 > The Hindu > Who knows facilities exist for physically challenged to vote > For the first time ever, physically challenged persons will participate in a general election with Braille-enabled electronic voting machines (EVMs), and with ramps installed at every polling centre. Even as this “historic milestone” is celebrated, disability rights activists are irked by inadequate awareness and publicity measures of electoral offices across the country.

09/Apr/2009 > Deccan Herald > Bringing awareness among disabled voters > Elections 2009 is said to be historic for persons with disability since this is the first ever accessible general election in the country. This couldnt have been possible without the efforts of Javed Abidi, who filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking accessibility facilities for disabled voters in polling booths

07/Apr/2009 > The Hindu > Disabled urged to vote in large numbers > The Disabled Rights Group has urged the country’s disabled population to come out and vote in large numbers in the upcoming Lol Sabha elections as the Election Commission will be making polling booths accessible for people with different forms of disability keeping the Supreme Court guidelines in mind.

03/Apr/2009 > Deccan Herald > Physical disability can't stop his MP dreams > He is blind as well as physically challenged yet there is no dearth of enthusiasm and willpower in him for it is these qualities which prompted him to aspire to become an MP.

30/Mar/2009 > Deccan Herald > Disability voters have a rare bargaining power > The issues of persons with disability rarely finds a mention in the party manifestoes or promises dished out during elections. Lack of grassroots-level organisation is thought to be the reason for this. But Thiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu has presented the model that could inspire disability activist groups across the country.

30/Mar/2009 > Times of India > Disabled-friendly booths for LS polls
> It's going to be the first ever completely disabled-friendly
elections this time around. The Election commission, keeping in mind
the Supreme Court guidelines, has made sure that all polling booths are
accessible to physically challenged.

25/Mar/2009 > The Hindu > Blind can vote without help at the polls - It is aimed at giving the blind voters
dignity and secrecy. For the first time, Braille-facilitated electronic
voting machines (EVMs) are being introduced on a large scale for the
15th Lok Sabha polls

19/Mar/2009 > Bangalore Mirror > Blind get first chance to vote on their own > The 2009 general elections will set the record of having fulfilled the wishes of nearly 4 million visually-challenged voters to cast their vote with no iota of doubt that their right to vote is manipulated. Modified electronic voting machines (MEVMs) will be kept at each of the 8,28,804 polling stations in the country (including AP, Orissa and Sikkim Assemblies).

14/Mar/2009 > Deccan Herald > Disability and Elections
> Figures from the 11th Five Year Plan suggest that India has
roughly five to six per cent of persons with disability amongst its
total population.